New TV

[starry_solo]

My TV is over 20 years old and the colors are starting to distort. So, I guess it's time for a new tv.

Any recommendations? I am thinking about going to the LEDs (without the 3-D) but those are pricey.

Vizio, Samsung, Sony, LG?

 

[eduk8r26]

I got a JVC lcd a couple of years ago for about $600. They are now lower in price. Keep your eyes open. They always have sales on them.

 

[lindsmom]

We got a vizio lcd 38" in January (got gift cards for xmas), and we've been very happy. I think we paid just over $400. We also had a fairly old tv (probably 12+ years old). We didn't bother with the led, as this is a huge enough step up for us that we're incredibly pleased.

DH and I tend to be a few years behind the "latest" thing because it tends to save us up to 50% off the original, hot off the presses price. We'll move up to LED once the prices drop (when the next new thing comes along) in five or more years.

 

[Rylee]

My TV is over 20 years old and the colors are starting to distort. So, I guess it's time for a new tv.

Any recommendations? I am thinking about going to the LEDs (without the 3-D) but those are pricey.

Vizio, Samsung, Sony, LG?

Samsung, Sony & LG are all great. We shopped around for a couple of months, read reviews online, talked with the cable guys that were at our house for Internet issues and watched the sale ads. We ended up with a Samsung because every time we were out shopping, ours eyes always zeroed in on it as having the best picture quality.

 

[lindsmom]

We ended up with a Samsung because every time we were out shopping, ours eyes always zeroed in on it as having the best picture quality.

Ditto this - not necessarily the samsung part, althought they are very nice. Be sure to watch the tv for more than just a glance. I don't think you can buy one online, as you really need to see the tv in action. Watch it from different angles that are relevant to where you would be setting up the tv (i.e. if you have a chair way to the side some tv's are better at different angles). We weren't going to get our vizio, but we were pleased with the picture when we kept going back to BJ's and looking at the different choices.

 

[Melynny]

We have been looking for a new LCD TV for our RV. We tried a low cost Insignia brand from Best Buy (it's thier store brand). We figured , what the heck, it's only for our camper, we don't have to have the best. Well, it did not last 24 hours at our house. The picture was foggy and not sharp. We exchanged that for a 2010 model Sony. Better, but this one had 2 spots on the screen where the pixels were bad, this was not a display model either. So this one went back too. WE recently got a new 55 inch for home that's a Samsung, and we love it so I guess that's really going to be the standard that we are going to be comparing to.

When buying a new TV, you need to remeber that they are not all the same. You need to consider the resolution, such as 720 or 1080, Then you need to determine if you need the i or p behind those numbers.. P is better than I. 1080 is better than 720. The next decision is the screen refresh rate. Most are 60 hz... better is 120 hz, harder to find for smaller ( under 32 inch) TV's and there is now 240 hz, mostly used now with the new LED lit LCD screens. The screen refresh rate is important for higher speed programming, such as car races or other quick sports. Most programming is at 60 hz, though. Additionally, if you watch alot of blue rays and some video games you need to pick the highest quality, that is the Higher numbers, to get the real quality from that. You can also look for other neat options such as internet ready, or able to use apps. Our new Samsung connects to the internet, thru the samsung apps and then connects directly to Netflix ( my paid subscription) and I then can watch movies without any cords or my computer. good luck, hope this helps!

 

[walkdmc]

We ordered an LG from Amazon. Now, we love our new TV but it had a rocky start with us. Within the first week of owning it, the power supply failed and needed to be replaced. The LG service guy told me he has been seeing a lot of problems ranging from cracked screens to complete knock-offs lately. All of the faulty TVs he saw were ordered online and in particular, he seemed to have a problem with Overstock. After our experience and talking with this guy, I would not buy another TV online even though we got a great deal. Or, at least, I would only buy from a very big seller and not some smaller obscure business with an unknown track record for returns/warranty issues.

Now, what I like about our TV is it has an HDMI input so we can connect it directly to our PS3 and access the internet. We can view Youtube videos, stream movies, etc. We have an LG LED 1080p and it has a beautiful picture. A simple feature I like is the screen swivels on it's stand so if I sit in the corner of the family room, I can turn it for better viewing.

 

[JaymeC]

If you want the bells and whistles, remember to buy one with the bells and whistles. I'm all for saving money, but imo you save money by buying what you want the first go round. We could have gotten a tv the same size as the one in our living room for 200-300 less, but ours has all the extras that we wanted as well as a crisper screen and better overall reviews. I've had lots of friends who got cheap LCDs they weren't happy with in the long run and replaced a couple years later.

 

[JDUCKY]

The best performing TVs are the plasmas (the darkest blacks out there for flat-panel technology...Samsung and Panasonic being the top two brands for plasmas)

If you're not looking for something on the lower end and want to research the options, check out: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

And, make sure you're really getting an LED TV and not some marketing gimmick:

The "LED TV" scam. Misleading the general public, Samsung style (& others) continues.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1308331

 

[elgerber]

I have 4 Samsung LCD TV's. We love them all. We tried a Sony in one room, and took it back and got another Samsung. 3 of them have been ordered from Amazon, because their prices are so much better than the brick and mortar stores.

 

[LuvMickey36]

I bought 2 hitachi brand for the house and have been pleased. One is 32inch & the other is 42inch. Both are 1080p and Led/Lcd with internet stuff. I am not that tech savy, so I just know that it listed a ton of stuff on the box and instructions. I figure once my techie friend comes to town, she will set it up for me. Right now they rock with HD direct tv They are crystal clear picture and you can sit on the side of the screen and still see the pic like you were sitting in front of it. I did my homework and compared/read reviews. I am also fairly frugal so I was looking to get the best bang for my buck. Got them both at Sams 2/11 and all has been great so far!

 

[LoriKutchey]

We have a samsung LCD in one room and a panasonic plasma in another. The Plasma picture is far superior to the LCD. IMHO.

 

[mrspopeye]

Another vote for Samsung. We have 4 of them.

 

[crazelion]

I have to Vizeo's tv and love them both. The tv in the bedroom is going out and it will be a vizeo too.

 

[cari12]

We just bought a 46" Samsung LED from Costco. Love it! Since your old TV is a 20 year old one with the colour going, any LED TV will look amazing compared to what you had.
You may still be able to find some of last year's models that they are blowing out to make room for this year's. I know Samsung's new ones have just come out (as we bought ours in March) but there were some great deals on last year's models. Try Costco, Fred Meyer etc.

 

[JENOS]

Don’t forget to upgrade your equipment (and cables) as well; there is no point in buying an HD TV if you’re not going to run it on an HD box using component or HDMI cables (don’t even know why some HD boxes have RCA connections)

 

[robinb]

We have a 42" Panasonic Plasma (P42S2) and we love it! I was leery of the possible problems with viewing a plasma TV in bright light but it doesn't bother us at all. We bought it directly from Panasonic in Nov 2010 and it was shipped to our house. We viewed it at Best Buy before purchasing it and were all ready to buy it there but then Panasonic offered a good deal so we jumped on it.

 

[timmac]

Also wanted to add... be sure to get one that is 1080p, not just 720. Depending on what size TV you're getting, you may find that many of them are only 720p (especially 32" and smaller). I've even seen a handful of "too cheap to be true" 42 inch models that are that way.

Ditto on the making sure you're running off an HD box with HDMI (component cables at the least, HDMI strongly preferred)

 

[tuckerkeys]

There is currently a 32" LCD tv from costco.com that is $269 SHIPPED! There is a $30 off promo running so this is why it is so cheap. It is an off brand, but the reviews speak for themselves on the brand ( hannspree I think ) I ordered 1 for my bedroom just the other day!

 

[timmac]

There is currently a 32" LCD tv from costco.com that is $269 SHIPPED! There is a $30 off promo running so this is why it is so cheap. It is an off brand, but the reviews speak for themselves on the brand ( hannspree I think ) I ordered 1 for my bedroom just the other day!

Echoing back to my previous post, it's also only a 720p, part of why it's so cheap.